Problems so far..

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by forestacademy

Interesting,
THey just charged you for an oil change at an unscheduled time.
This was not your 10K/1year Service most folks pay $120+ for.
If you go back in 5K miles and then get hit with the $120 service (not just oil change) then you have already spent $40 more than me.

But, If you one of the folks who buy into the oil industry myth you need to change it more often then $40 is a good deal, sort of

Did I just open a can or Worms?

I was going to ask why he did the oil change at 5k. I know there's debate about it here, but, hey, my Smart dealer said I didn't need to go back for a year or 10k, so I ain't going back early. Every so often I look at it, and the oil looks okay, and the car runs okay, so...

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by MPrice2984

Garcia - I get where you are coming from. What people don't understand is that both Chicago area smart dealers are in areas where the average house is over $850,000 and there are more Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Bentley's than you can shake a stick at. The dealers put smart in so the Mercedes driving parents could buy a smart as their first cars and then move up in a couple of years. The
treatment is really high end but so are all of the prices. Loeber quoted me $34ea
for OE spark plugs, $18 for an oil filter.

Well, that's definitely one inherent problem when buying a car from a Mercedes dealer. They're used to people dropping coin and not worrying too much about it (at least compared to someone who bought a Hyundai or a Kia and is taking it in for service).

But the other issue is that the Smart is pretty maintenance-free, with the yearly service, high-performance engine, and relative durability (not to mention it's new to America so a lot of them aren't falling apart yet). Our local dealer said that, for the same time period they did $40k worth of Mercedes repairs/business, they did $1,500 worth of Smart. So most of them aren't really looking to give you a break on the rip-off oil change because 1.) they're not gonna make a lot of money off you any other way, and 2.) you don't have many alternatives yet.

[The Rigger]

Originally Posted by smartHHO

Remember, I am dealing with Round Rock which was number one in customer satisfaction last year. They Rock for sure. And yes, they put in the synthetic moble oil. Took about 30 min tops and car was done.

Hmmm... I'll have a day off in Dallas... May be worth the drive to Round Rock for an early oil change.

[John_H]

Originally Posted by The Rigger

Hmmm... I'll have a day off in Dallas... May be worth the drive to Round Rock for an early oil change.

But to get the service done at a good time, won't you have to leave oily in the morning?

[The Rigger]

Originally Posted by John_H

But to get the service done at a good time, won't you have to leave oily in the morning?

Narf-narf-narf...

[NCC1701]

JD10367 while cracked windshields are not a smart specific issue, I doubt $900 is a typical replacement cost for other cars. My previous experience is several hundred dollars, which was paid 100% by my insurance. I am thinking they'd balk at $900.

[Jan in West U]

1. wouldn't go in drive - got the new tranny upgrade Feb. 26, 2009.
2. heater / a/c problems - a/c went hot and stayed hot - free fix but took a week to get the new part in.
3. tiny rock chip in windshield.
4. still don't get the mileage everyone raves about. In fact, no one in our Houston smart car Club got anything over 43 mpg all highway.

[Macaw]

Originally Posted by NCC1701

JD10367 while cracked windshields are not a smart specific issue, I doubt $900 is a typical replacement cost for other cars. My previous experience is several hundred dollars, which was paid 100% by my insurance. I am thinking they'd balk at $900.

Had mine replaced and it was $800 paid for by the insurance company

[NCC1701]

Originally Posted by Jan in West U

4. still don't get the mileage everyone raves about. In fact, no one in our Houston smart car Club got anything over 43 mpg all highway.

EPA rating is 33 city/41 highway (I think). As I see it, if you're beating those figures, you're ahead of the game and getting better than bargained for. I'm pleased as punch with my 36/city, especially considering my lead foot.

[MPrice2984]

Hyundai / Kia dealers pretty much have to rely on car sales as they don't have a lot of repair work. If you want to see a shop full of repair work go to any Mercedes dealer, my brother in law owns a C55AMG and it's in the shop all the time. The most reliable cars I have ever owned have been Hyundais.